NEW YORK - Karim Rashid is everywhere, though you probably don't know it. He's in your garbage and vacuum cleaner, and in your soap and perfume bottle.

Considered the king of modern industrial design, the Canadian designer remains unknown to the general public and somewhat ignored by the industry back home. I spoke to the man dubbed the "bioplastic poet" in his Manhattan office.

Rashid is currently working on a piece of art for the Edmonton airport.

"It will sit in the middle of one of the terminals, it's about 10x10 meters," he says.

Rashid also continues to produce work for Umbra, with whom he has been collaborating since the 80's. He says he would like to take on more projects in Canada, but Rashid said he rarely gets calls from his homeland.

"Frankly, what bothers me a bit is how little I hear from Canada," he says. "I never get asked to do a restaurant or a shop."

Maybe they can't afford you?

"I don't think it's about affording," he explains. "I think deep down Canada is still very conservative and they see me as this wild designer."

The two of us are sitting in Rashid's office on 17th Street in Chelsea, not far from his apartment. He also now has a second office in Amsterdam. His company employs a total of 20 people.

The 50-year-old Rashid is dressed in white and pink, his favourite colours regardless of the season. He has also made pink part of his trademark.

"They found me a little odd in the beginning but I loved pink even as a child," he says. "I have a photo at three wearing pink."

At six-foot-four, Rashid leaves an impression. His arms are covered in tattoos, designs that he created himself. He adds a new tattoo to his body every year, in a different city.

The shelves in the conference room are filled will all sorts of Rashid's inventions. It was at this moment that I realized just how prevalent Rashid's work is. He is behind the famous Garbo plastic garbage, Umbra's Oh Chair, many Artemide pieces, Dirt Devil brooms and vacuums, and Samsung televisions. He created logos for companies such as Citibank and Hyundai, as well for hotels in Athens and Berlin. His work can be found in 42 countries, earning 300 prizes during a career that has seen him complete about 3,000 large and small-scale projects.

Though most people can name the designers behind clothing items, most aren't aware of the names behind their lamps, chairs or garbage cans. Rashid wants to see this change. He welcomes media attention with open arms and has built a career that revolves around a single goal: to make design accessible.

He is outraged by elitist and expensive design and isn't one to shop in the city's pricier boutique stores, preferring to spend his money at Bed, Bath and Beyond, The Container Store, Home Depot and Target. Oddly enough, Ikea has never expressed an interest.

"I tried to work with them a few years ago and they were not interested," says Rashid.

Rashid is fundamentally a child of his era, which he illustrates by stating: "My language is from the moment I was born; I've never watched a movie or listened to music before 1960 because they are not part of my being."

He current has 80 projects on the go, including the design for Berlin's "nhow" hotel and a metro station in Naples.

"I'm also doing a plastic surgery clinic in South Korea, a kids' clothing store in Moscow, a casino in Belgrade," says Rashid.

Amidst all of that, Rashid still finds the time to serve as DJ at an event in Budapest, and puts on conferences all over the world.

Last year, Rashid, who also runs 10 kilometres each day, spent 180 nights in hotels.

The frequent travel has allowed him to develop a few tricks, such as bringing several t-shirts made from high quality material that never smell bad.

But despite all of the travel, Rashid always feels at home. Born in Egypt, Rashid grew up in Toronto, where his mother still lives. His father was a set designer for Canadian TV.

"I realize this now, we have Canadians and Torontonians, a beautiful take on the world," he says. "I grew up next to an Orthodox Church, an Ukrainian pastry shop, Little Italy and a Polish neighbourhood. Today when I travel I always feel at home. I'm a global citizen."

He also lived in Montreal between the ages of five and seven, which is where things clicked for Rashid.

"At seven, we went many times to Expo 67 and that was one of my strongest, fondest memories of knowing that one day I could change the world and do these futuristic things. My clues references are a lot from these years, it's the reason why my work looks like the 60s," he says.